Adelbert filkins



(No Model.)

A. FILKINS.

SNAP HOOK.

110.473,173. Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

fnf/Maffay:

ihvrrnn STATES iin'rsnr rrrcn.

ADELBERT FILKINS, OF ROUNDLAKF., NEY YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS H. BELL, OF SAME PLACE.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 473,173, dated April 19, 1892.

Application led July 3. 1891. Serial No. 398,366. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADELBERT FILKINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Round Lake, county of Saratoga, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Safety Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the let-ters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several ligures therein. f

Figurevl of the drawings is a top plan view of my improved hook. Fig.2 is avertical longitudinal section on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. l, showing the hook closed in use. Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view showing the hook open and detached. Fig. i is a bottom plan viewr of a modification.

My improved hook comprises the U-shaped metallic spring A, with means for securing' the same to a strap A', a lip A2, and a tubular slide-keeper B, engageable with such lip. The legs of the spring are unequal in length, the longer leg A3 being secured to the strap and provided with a narrow or contracted portion A4, adapted to receive and form a slideway for the keeper. The end of the shorter leg A5 is bent up to form the lip A2, which serves as a stop or catch for the keeper to hold the same in a locked position upon both legs of the spring. The metallic springis preferably covered with leather or other ornamental material. I have shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 the covering on one side integral with the strap, preferably of leather, a similar strip of leather C being secured to the covering portion of the strap by edge lines of stitching C', which lines of stitching inclose the metallic spring.

Vhen desired, the metallic spring may be left uncovered, as shown in Fig. 4, in which case the strap may be secured to the longer leg of the spring by rivets C2, inserted through apertures in the strap and spring. In Fig. 4 a portion of the strap is broken away and one of the rivets removed'to show the rivet-aperture O3 in the leg of the spring. The spring may be contracted in width to form the slideway A4 for the keeper, the projecting edges AG forming a stop to prevent the keeper from sliding away too far from the short leg ofthe spring or hook, and the shoulders A7 forming a stop to prevent the keeper from sliding too far onto such leg or hook. In the preferred form shown in the first three figures the cov- 6o ering is shaped to form the stops at the ends of the narrow slideway, as shown.

When it is desired to attach the hook to a ring, as the bit-ring D of a bridle, the keeper is disengaged vfrom the hook, as shown in Fig. 6 5 3, the hook inserted in the ring D,the springhook partly closed by the hand, and the keeper slipped over the lip A2 onto the hook or shorter' leg, as shown in Figs. l and 2. When released by the hand, the resilient force of the spring 7o forces the shorter leg against the keeper and the lip serves to hold the keeper securely in place, rendering it impossible for the bit-ring to escape from the hook until the latter is partially closed against the resilient force of the spring.

The hook can be easily and quickly operated by the hand, but is not likely to be accidentally opened while in use. As the spring itself forms the hook, and the whole device, aside from the strap attachment, is comprised in two parts-viz., the spring-hook and the keeper-there is very little mechanism to get out of order, and the open loosely-tting nature of the construction reduces to a minimum 85 the danger of choking the device and rendering it inoperative by mud or snow and ice. Portions of the legs may be contracted transversely to form the keeper-slideway, either by cutting away a part of the spring itself or of 9o the covering material, as shown.

By having the keeper in the form of a fiattened section of a tube it is made to resemble the form of and when covered with leather the appearance of ordinary harness-loops used in connection with buckles, and by having the slideway along which the keeper moves narrower than the body part of the spring and strap the keeper presents a neat and ornamental appearance, the outer sides of the roo keeper being approximately in line with the outer edge of the strap and hook.

I am aware that rin g-keepers have been used in connection With spring-hooks, being pivoted to the longer leg in a position to be swung over the end of the shorter leg. In such form ol construction the ringisliable to be bent in use to a form which would prevent the shorter leg from being inserted therein. rlhe ring is also subjected to considerable torsional strain, which would tend to twist and break the pivotal connection between the ri ng and the longer leg of the hook or renderit inoperative. y having the keeper made of a section of considerable length of a tube lattened or bent, so as to present when viewed in cross-section an approximately rectangular ligure, I ain able to produce akeeper adapted to slide along the legs of the hook,wl1ich presents extended bearingsurfaces between the keeper and legs to reduce deterioration by wea-1' while in use and impart to the keeper strength to resist unusual strains.

IVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a spring safety-hook, the combination, with a U-shaped spring having legs of unequal length, means for attaching the longer leg to a strap, a keeper-slideway n the longer leg, keeper-stops at each end of the slideway, and a keeper-stop on the end of the shorter leg, of a keeper adapted to embrace both legs, movable on such slideway longitudinally of the longer leg to and from the shorter leg, substantially as described.

, 2. In a spring safety-hook, the combination, with a U-shaped spring, means for securing one leg of the spring to a strap, and akeeperslideway comprising a transversely-contracted part of the shorter leg located at its end and a similarly-contracted part located interniediately of the ends of the strap-leg, of a tubular s1idekeeper adapted to embrace both legs, movable longitudinally of the strap-leg slideway to and from the slideway on the other leg, and a keeper-stop on the end of the last-mentioned leg, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of June, 1891.

ADELBERT FILKINS. Nit-nesses:

.ToHN D. ROGERS, JOHN C. SPIERRE. 

